Suggested Books

PARTNERS

Devils, Demons, and Dangerous Creatures of the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum

Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, also known as the False Hierarchy of Demons, is a great compendium from the 16th century dictating the names of sixty-nine demons. The title itself indicates that the demonic monarchy depicted in the text is false, in many ways an insult to those who determinedly believe in the demons of hell. The list initially appeared as an appendix to Johann Weyer's first book about demonology and witchcraft, De Praestigiis Daemonum et Incantationibus acVenificiisi, and was said by the author himself to have been inspired by an earlier text discussing spirits and demons. Yet, it is Weyer's work—not his predecessor's—that came to be known by renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud as "one of the ten most significant books of all time."

The son of a civic service merchant, Johann Weyer was a Dutch doctor and occult practitioner born in the Netherlands in 1515. Well versed in Latin from a young age, Weyer quickly became a student of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a famous magician, theologian, and occultist in Antwerp. Agrippa similarly published on demons as his student would one day do, but did not have much time to pass on his teachings before passing away when Weyer was only nineteen years old. It appears that Weyer's fascination with magic began while working under Agippa, but later escalated after he became a doctor in his own right: he was summoned to a particular fortune teller's court case and thereby asked by the judge for advice on the topic. This court case started his interest in researching the witchcraft way of life, culminating with his decision to attempt to defend those who were accused of practicing. Twenty-seven years after this case, when Weyer was sixty-two years old, he published his appendix to De Praestigiis Daemonum et Incantationibus ac Venificiis: the aforementioned Pseudomonarchia Daemonum.

Pseudomonarchia Daemonum was purportedly intended by Weyer to insult and poke fun at the idea of the demonic hierarchies witches were said to worship at that time. This work claims that while demons and the monsters from hell could have illusionist power over people, the affected people were not the witches on trial—the "mentally ill", as Weyer stated—but rather the magicians who played tricks on common folk for an easy coin. Somewhat ironically however, Weyer's text told the reader how to summon and bend the demon spirits to his or her will as a theoretical witch would actually do.

Weyer's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum ended up an inspiration itself, leading to the writing of The Lesser Key of Solomon in which one section, called Ars Geotia, discusses seventy-two demons evoked by the ancient King Solomon—four more than Weyer described. The purpose of this subsequent book is to act as a grimoire, also known as a spell book, to provide the reader with important facts about demons that might be summoned, such as what they look like or what abilities they might possess.

It was very popular practice in the sixteenth through eighteen centuries to write about demons and demonology. Largely due to the fact that accusations in witchcraft were being cast about left and right, scholars like Weyer and King James I of Scotland and VI of England were determined to understand the forces they may or may not possess. However, unlike most other authors—such as King James—Weyer's intention was to create a creed to vet out the accused who were, in fact, innocent, because as he claimed the "witches" were mentally unstable, while the magicians were doing the physical act of "magic." How helpful Weyer's efforts for the accused witches were remains unseen, yet there is evidence that his pleas for their mercy went predominately ignored. It seems that regardless of the scholarship put into clearing the supposed witches, fear was a far more powerful motivating factor for the court judges and juries.

Featured Image: An unconscious naked man lying on a table being attacked by little demons armed with surgical instruments (Wikimedia Commons)

Riley Winters

Riley Winters is a recent graduate from Christopher Newport University with a degree in Classical Studies and Art History, and a Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor. She will be attending the University of Glasgow in 2015 for Celtic and Viking Archaeology,... Read More

Well even within the bible the temple of Solomon was constructed by demon's, I have even come across other story's that say at one time the earth was there planet at a time before man. Even subjecting that the network of mega stone work's around the world were built by them, and that there are simply ruin's from a previous age.

The Grand Grimoire, sometimes referred to as the ‘Red Dragon’ or the ‘Gospel of Satan’, is a medieval grimoire believed to possess immense powers. According to legend, it was written by an apocryphal...

Death, the ancient Egyptians believed, was not the end of our struggles. They believed in an afterlife and that the worthy would go on to paradise, but their dead didn’t simply pass over to the other...

Viral Articles

Jesus’ supernatural stroll across the Sea of Galilee endures as one of the most popular Christian miracles. The outset of each version is identical: Jesus directs his apostles to row to the other side of this inland freshwater sea, while he departs to a nearby mountain to pray.

Top New Stories

Bali regularly features as one of the most beautiful places in the world, a well-known mecca for backpackers and travelers. The island not only has natural wonders, but also many architectural and cultural marvels.

Myths & Legends

Jesus’ supernatural stroll across the Sea of Galilee endures as one of the most popular Christian miracles. The outset of each version is identical: Jesus directs his apostles to row to the other side of this inland freshwater sea, while he departs to a nearby mountain to pray.

Opinion

How old is the Tarot? This is a question that seems easy to answer today. As playing cards, we can confidently map the Tarot to the early 15th century. Mystery solved? Well, it’s not quite that simple.

Our Mission

At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.

The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.

We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives.

By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings.